Moderna begins testing its COVID-19 vaccine among adolescents aged 12 to 17. The study will include 3,000 adolescents, half of whom will receive two injections of the vaccine four weeks apart and the other half a placebo.
Moderna will begin evaluating the efficacy and safety of its covid-19 vaccine in adolescents aged 12 to 17, as reported on the U.S. clinical trials website (clinicaltrials.gov) and advanced by The New York Times.
The study will include 3,000 adolescents, half of whom will receive two injections of the vaccine four weeks apart and the other half a placebo. The trial “is not yet recruiting” participants, and there is not yet a start date, explained Colleen Hussey, spokesperson for Moderna, to the newspaper.
The company’s Phase 3 trials in adults have shown the efficacy of its vaccine close to 94%. Based on these results, it could be approved in the United States by the middle of this month and in Europe on January 12. However, it has not yet been studied in children. Generally, vaccines intended for both adults and children are tested first on adults to help ensure that they are safe for pediatric trials.
The vaccine also has not been tested in pregnant women. The American media is advancing that in this new clinical trial, girls who have passed puberty will be tested before each injection to make sure they are not pregnant. Pfizer began testing its coronavirus vaccine on 12-year-old children in October. AstraZeneca has also conducted trials in this pediatric population.
